A bright and sun shining day in winter is a little taste of heaven for England. When the grey skies clear to reveal the glorious ball of light that we can mostly only lust after, it’s most divine. Such beautiful days call for long walks and I’m really enjoying quality time with my husband and our little Jack Russell, Holly. We love getting outdoors, embracing our natural surroundings and it is so lovely to enjoy a walk together and have a chat. We often visit National Trust sites, but on this occasion we decided to check out Aldenham Country Park. It’s not too far from where we live in the leafy suburbs of London and I had heard such positive vibes about the place that I thought it was worth a visit.  

 
The hazy afternoon sun had created a false impression of warmth and there was a distinct, clean chill in the air demanding its presence be acknowledged. I was secretly gutted I didn’t bring my earmuffs as the cool air skimmed my little ears leaving them feeling frozen.

We walked around the lake that dominates Aldenham and I was very surprised that Holly had a paddle. I can’t even remember the last time she willingly entered water whilst we were out. She’s a funny little ball, who is a sun worshipper and despises anything cold. Her paddling pool becomes her best friend in summer, but Holly never normally enters lake water or even the bath willingly. She also surprised us by trundling through a little stream we came across. Must have been feeling adventurous!

  
It’s so nice to watch Holly take in natural surroundings and simply be a dog, sniffing scents and bouncing around.

I love having uninterrupted chats with the hubby too, often consisting of nothing that really matters. It’s great to just spend the time together without work or other things getting in the way. 

   
I always feel really refreshed after a long walk in beautiful surroundings, like I’ve taken a pause from life and can just exist for a short while with fresh air in my lungs. 

Nature is such a wonderful thing and I really appreciate being able to wrap myself up in surroundings that only nature controls. London is such a beautiful city, but it’s so easy to be swallowed up in it’s concrete existence, forgetting where life really began and what it’s all about.

I wouldn’t say that Aldenham is my favourite place after our visit and to be honest there are many other places nearby that are arguably more untouched, natural and beautiful. I’m glad that we went though and we had a lovely time (although I’m sure that Holly brought back ten bucketfuls of mud on her legs, belly and paws!).

  
Where are your favourite places to escape for a walk?

L x

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you will probably be aware of the fact that I am a bit of a bookworm. I absolutely adore reading and have done since I was a child. One of my favourite Sunday’s as an eight year old was when I spent the whole day reading Roald Dahl books. I was so pleased that I managed to read so much in one day (complete nerd!). In adulthood I’m much the same and love a lazy weekend with a good book, so I thought that I would compose a short list of my most favourite books I’ve read in the past couple of years. I wanted to keep it as a neat list of five, but I  needed to squeeze an extra one (technically two) in!

The Fault in our Stars by John Green      

I absolutely adore this story. It is so beautifully written that I could read it every day for the rest of my life and still be satisfied. The story itself is terribly tragic and desperately sad, but it is written in such a wonderful way that you don’t come away feeling depressed or pitiful.                       

Good points: The writing style and the characters.                                          

Bad points: It is a really sad topic that will probably make you cry buckets.                                              

Read it if: You like a story that will take you on a journey. Even if you might cry.

 

Me before you by Jojo Moyes                      
Me Before You fell into my life at a point when I hadn’t read anything exciting for a while. When I was putting reading on the back burner and life had got in the way. This book had me gripped from the start and life was put on the back burner whilst I discovered what was going to happen to Will Traynor and Louisa Clark. This is such a lovely story (with some elements of sadness – sob!). It isn’t afraid to take a different path and break stereotypes. I really really love it, can’t wait for the movie!               

Good points: The characters are great. Will’s sarcasm and Lou’s bubbly personality are key to the telling of the story.                               

Bad points: You might cry (again!).    

Read it if: You like a good, substantial story that is unpredictable.

  
The Girl on the Train by  Paula Hawkins.                                                             

There is such a love buzz around this book and when the hubby bought it for me for my birthday I was really excited to read it and see if it lived up to the hype. It really did. I do enjoy a thriller now and again and I enjoyed learning about the characters (hating Rachel, hating Tom, liking Rachel, liking Tom, hating Anna, hating Tom). It’s a good read and I was so desperate to find out what happened to Megan that I couldn’t put it down.                  Good points: It’s easy to read and keep track of all of the key elements. It’s also constantly evolving. It probably won’t make you cry.             

Bad points: I found Rachel really annoying at times, I wanted to shout at her ‘just go home!’.                            

Read it if: You like a good thriller. 

 
Still Alice by Lisa Genova.                           

I was really sceptical of reading this book as I had seen the movie and wasn’t blown away. My Grandad had Alzheimer’s and I think that the movie glamorised the illness a bit and didn’t portray the devastation it creates. I’m so glad that I made the effort with the book because it is far more accurate and a brilliant read.     Good points: It gives a great insight into early onset Alzheimer’s disease and Alice is such a relatable, lovely character.                                                  Bad points: I found it really sad, but that’s mostly because of seeing the illness first hand.                                    

Read it if: You have ever wondered about Alzheimer’s and you like a story that isn’t all rose gardens and afternoon tea.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon                

This book is AMAZING. It is written perfectly and the character of Chrisopher Boone has been created with upmost accuracy to someone who is autistic. It isn’t just about autism though, there is so much more going on, all being told by the voice of Christopher. It’s such a great book to read and the stage production is pretty rad too!                 

Good points: The writing. It’s brilliant. The storyline is great too, unpredictable.                                          

Bad points: Honestly I can’t think of any!                                                                 

Read it if: You like something different. I haven’t read anything like it!

 
Paper Aeroplanes/Goose by Dawn O’Porter.                                                               

These two books go hand in hand. The first (Paper Aeroplanes) tells the story of Flo and Renee as they grow up in the nineties. It’s a fun read that took me back to my teen years! The second (Goose) follows the girls to college and a new chapter in their lives.                                                             Good points: 90’s nostalgia!                   Bad points: Can be a bit crude.               Read it if: You like being taken back to when you were younger.

What are your favourite books? Have you read any of these?
L x

  
One of my aspirations for this year is to be more active. I wouldn’t class myself as a couch potato, and I often have days where I’m so busy I don’t get a chance to sit down until ten in the evening, but I’m not really big on exercise. I have rare occasions where I feel like going for a run or something equally as crazy, but generally there are other things that I would be rather doing than pounding the pavement and feeling like I’m going to die. I drive to most places purely down to saving time and convenience, but I really love going for long walks. So I think that this may be the key to keeping active. 

We recently signed up to become members of the National Trust and they have some lovely sites all across the country. They are always beautifully maintained and their manor homes are so opulent. I feel like making a commitment to become a member of the National Trust has encouraged me to search out new places to go for a mooch around and I intend to visit many National Trust sites this year. Since we became members, we have visited both Waddesdon Manor and the Ashridge Estate twice. The great thing is that many of their sites are dog friendly, so we can bundle Holly in the car and take her with us.

  
The other brilliant thing about it is that we spend quality time together, making memories and having a chat. It’s really lovely to soak up the precious moments where we aren’t in a hurry to go anywhere and can just be together. Life is both unpredictable and short, so we need to make the most of it.

Some of the National Trust places are free too, like the Ashridge Estate, so it makes for a very cheap day out even if you aren’t a member.

  
We quite like to venture out into the countryside a bit, leaving the big lights of London behind us with its cluttered streets and polluted air. I’m sure that it is a case of ‘the grass is always greener’ (literally), but there’s something magical about escaping to the country and we always dream about living in one of the quaint villages that we drive through on our way to our destination with its cosy pubs and community feel.

   
 
The four of us spent a couple of hours enveloped in nature, feeling the squelch of mud beneath our boots and looking at tree formations (I know this sounds ridiculously boring, but nature is a wonderful thing, honest!). We laughed as we struggled to catch our breath climbing up steep hills, our wellies losing their grip in the muddy terrain. The air was fresh and it was blissfully peaceful.

   
 
It was so refreshing to leave ordinary life behind and just embrace not just time together, but time itself with our only worry being that we would get lost and forget our way back to the car (which thankfully didn’t happen).

I can’t wait to get out and about exploring this year, especially when the weather brightens up!

  

Are there any places that you like to visit?

L X

  
I’ve written before about how I think it is so important to squeeze in time for ourselves. Sometimes we get so caught up in life, prioritising others and their needs, leaving our own at the bottom of the list and I think that it is of upmost importance that we try and squeeze in some time for ourselves.

I’ve developed a guilty pleasure in going to the cinema. I love picking out which movie I want to watch and meeting up with my friend Debbie. We have a little chat before and after the film (usually over food) and treat ourselves to a sweet treat for in the cinema (I usually have popcorn, chocolate and pick n mix!). We’ve seen all of the greats together and we love it. It’s always nice to catch up, but the reason we adore going to the cinema is simply to just be. To just exist for a couple of hours in this manic world, the fast paced streets of London outside a far cry from the fictional world that we have been swept up in. Yes, I may sometimes be on the edge of my seat wondering if the lead character will survive, but ultimately I’m switched off from the world. Phone on silent, darkened room… Blissful. I feel like it’s such a self indulgent thing, but I always feel so relaxed after a cheeky trip to the cinema, like I’ve had a mini break from life and it’s just brilliant. 

I love seeing the movies too, of course. This week we saw The Revenant. I was really excited because there was so much love emanating from people who had seen it and there are worse things to do than watch Leonardo DiCaprio for a couple of hours (he had my heart at Titanic). It was all in all a great film, beautifully shot and edited. The storyline is a little predictable at times and I did start to find it amusing that nothing would kill off Leo’s character (it’s as though the One Direction song ‘Drag Me Down’ was written for him). There are also some gruesome scenes of him in a few scenarios that Bear Grylls would be right at home in. Anyway, all in all it is a great movie and I would definitely watch it again.

Have you seen any good movies recently?

L X

  
I’ve always used this little blog to express myself, to talk about things that I’ve become excited about or to simply ramble about life. It’s starting to really grow and part of that means that I need to evaluate where I want to go with it and how I want to manage it. This has meant that I’ve set up a Facebook page and have started to roll with it as my little audience increases. I’ve also had a good old think about when I will post so that we all know where we stand and I’ve decided to pop up a new post every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Three posts a week. I think that this is manageable although there may be an odd week where it isn’t possible and you never know there may even be a week where I post more than that. I’m really enjoying my blog and love moulding it into what I stand for and who I am. I’m not big on edited pictures (although I love beautiful photography, it’s just not me) and I want to maintain honesty. I’m quite transparent and I don’t want to be playing make believe in my blog. So there you have it, three posts a week and all from the heart.

L x

  
As part of my Reading Challenge this year, I am attempting to read one book a week in order to hit my target of fifty-two books this year. This weeks’ book was The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, which was a birthday gift from the hubby! There is so much love bouncing around the universe regarding this book, which can either be a really good thing, or a really bad thing. Thankfully, this book is absolutely marvellous and definitely lives up to the hype. From the moment I picked it up I was hooked. It’s incredibly well written and my interest only escalated as the story evolved. Paula takes you on a journey where you will cringe, worry, ponder and become completely committed to the characters (although by the end the only one I liked was Evie!). The way that they are developed is brilliant and there is a part of me that won’t accept that they are fictional. I pretty much read anything from romantic novels to biographies and this thriller had me talking myself into reading ‘one more page’ every time I picked it up.

Read it if:

• You love a thriller
• You enjoy drama
• You like to be taken on a journey 

Best bits:

• The development of the characters
• The twisting storyline
• The flow

Worst bits:

• I did find Rachel a bit annoying at times (although it’s all part of her character)

I’ve heard on the grapevine that there will be a film based on this book that is out later this year. I can’t wait to see it!

Have you read anything that’s excited you recently?

L X

  
It’s taken me a while, but I’ve finally succumbed to the world of Instagram.

At first I didn’t want to embrace it because I feel like life is cluttered enough with Facebook, YouTube and Twitter and I wasn’t sure if I had room to commit to another social networking platform. Then I remembered that I can post to both Facebook and Twitter with ease through Instagram. I then dug up my account (which had one photograph from when I signed up years ago!) and now I’m hooked.

Hit me up if you are on Instagram too – louisehargestkemp

L x